luminescente

Luminescente is an adjective used in several Romance languages to describe materials or phenomena that emit light at temperatures well below incandescence. In English, the corresponding term is luminescent, and the noun form luminescence. The broader phenomenon is luminescence: light emission produced by processes other than thermal radiation.

Luminescence occurs when a substance reaches an excited energetic state and releases energy as photons as it relaxes. Photoluminescence covers cases where excitation comes from light: fluorescence is emitted almost instantly after excitation and ceases when the excitation stops, while phosphorescence persists after the excitation source is removed due to slower, forbidden transitions. Chemiluminescence produces light from a chemical reaction without external light input, and bioluminescence is a subset of chemiluminescence that occurs in living organisms, such as fireflies or certain marine organisms. Electroluminescence arises from electric energy driving recombination of charge carriers in a material, a principle central to LEDs and OLEDs. Other less common forms include triboluminescence (light from mechanical action) and sonoluminescence (light produced by sound-induced cavitation).

Applications span technology, safety, and biology. Luminescent materials are used in signage, emergency egress markings, and glow-in-the-dark products. They underpin display technologies (LEDs, OLEDs) and imaging tools such as fluorescent probes and bioluminescent reporters in research and medical diagnostics. The study of luminescente-style materials continues to advance through materials science, chemistry, and optoelectronics, enhancing both practical devices and understanding of light-emitting processes.